The Dark Days
by Nomoreturningaway
Summary: A steady increase of monsters leads to an unexpected death by a strange poison as Camp Half-Blood is overwhelmed. One Year later the monster attacks have not ceased and suddenly the sky turns dark when it should still be daylight. Percy, against orders, begins his own quest to find the God of Prophecy. Rated T for violence and swearing.


**A/N: So alright! A new story for you all to read. I am currently thinking that it will be a Pertemis, but eventually. Also, it's been a while since I read any of the books, about four months since Mark of Athena. So correct my mistakes if you want, but there are no guarantees that they will be fixed. **

**Also, normally a chapter will be at least 3k words. I didn't quite make it for this one, but that always happens with my first chapters.**

**Updates will happen irregularly, just a quick warning. I have a bunch of stories on my laptop I'm writing, so I just write whichever one I feel like that day. Sometimes I just roll with the same one for weeks even. But I will try my best to complete this story.**

**And please, ignore the title. I completely forgot to think of one before I started posting and just threw one out there off the top of my head.**

**So, now let us be on with the chapter and I hope that—even if you are dying to read some Pertemis—you will be happy with this for the time being because they will not be together any time soon.**

**Please read on and enjoy.**

Chapter 1

His strength was wearing thin, but thankfully so was the battle. The campers and hunters combined evenly matched the monsters in number, but as far as skill went, the monsters didn't have a chance. Percy Jackson, age 18, demigod, son of Poseidon, senior camper, however, was tired, standing in the center of the fighting, bleeding and panting.

He had been returning from a quest when the Iris Message came in, so close to home, just a few miles off. He that he'd been looking forward to finally resting in his bed, having his wounds healed more efficiently than he could with the water he carried for emergencies. And then came the frantic message from Annabeth, his girlfriend, a daughter of Athena, while he was bathing in a creek. Then she had been in the midst of battle and she had begged for him to come and help, that the campers couldn't hold out for much longer. The message had cut off when she was attacked by some monster Percy hadn't seen.

So he hauled his ass back to camp, half naked in a pair of cargo shorts that had been hastily thrown on just to cover himself up, though he was sure that some of the campers had already seen too much through the iris message. He had left everything behind, his backpack that contained his clothes, his medical supplies, his food, everything. He had to get back and help. And When he got there things hadn't been so good. The campers had almost been defeated. Soon after the Hunters of Artemis had thankfully shown up to help out.

Percy didn't have an idea how long it had been. But he still hadn't been in contact with Annabeth, not since the message. He did not see her anywhere on the messy battlefield, not among the fallen or the fighting. And he was growing anxious. It had been a month since he last saw her, held her.

Thinking about the blonde haired woman he had fallen for when they were kids brought new energy coursing through his body. Percy gave a loud cry of fury and charged back into the battle.

Onlookers would say that he fought like a madman. From the Aphrodite cabin, they would say that he fought like a man who had lost his only love in the world. The Hunters, a group of girls who swore an oath to be eternal maidens, who say that he fought like a reckless idiot (Percy was positive that they secretly admired his skill). Whatever they thought, Percy got the job done.

The last Hellhound fell by his sword. A triumphant cheer went up around the remaining campers, but Percy did not join in. He was intent on finding her, Annabeth. He wandered around in a daze of exhaustion and blood loss, asking anyone he ran into if they knew where Annabeth was. Finally a boy from the Hermes cabin pointed toward one of the medical tents where Apollo's kids were healing the wounded with some help from various others that included nymphs and whatever help could be found. Percy ran like a madman, bursting into the tent without a greeting.

His eyes landed on her immediately, not even registering any of the others in the tent. Annabeth was in a cot, her eyes closed as though she was sleeping. Her Camp Half-Blood t-shirt was torn and bloodied, hiked up to her breasts. Below that she was covered in bandages that were soaked with some acid green liquid. Seeing it, the color, Percy realized that it was poison. It was just an instinct as he had never seen poison to do anything like he was seeing, oozing out of the wounds in bright green streams.

"Percy…"

He rushed over and skidded to his knees by her side, looking down into her now open stormy gray eyes. They were so filled with pain that he himself felt it. "Annabeth!" he whispered, gently taking her cheek in his hand. He glanced again at the poison soaked bandages. "You're gonna be fine."

"No… no I'm not. I just got done telling Thalia that."

Percy hadn't even noticed the other girl sitting on the other side of the cot. Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus and a Hunter of Artemis. She'd been crying, her eyes red and swollen. But when Percy looked into her eyes he saw acceptance. That alone caused his arms to shake.

"I'll leave you two alone," she whispered, getting up to her feet. She grabbed her silver bow and left the tent without a backwards glance.

Percy turned back to Annabeth, his eyes quickly filling with tears. "No! I… I can't let you die!" His hands reached for his flask of seawater, only to remember that it was empty. He flung the useless thing to the side with a scream of despair that could be heard across New York. Every head in camp turned toward the tent somberly, realizing that something bad was going on. Very few knew who was in there though and when they found out, their heads would bow and they would each think of the daughter of Athena, the woman whose necklace held more beads than any other, the Great Perseus Jackson's girlfriend, the smartest person they would ever meet.

Annabeth grabbed Percy's hand and placed it over her heart. Oddly enough, she had the smallest trace of a smile of her face and as she looked at him, Percy could see that her eyes were shining with so many emotions; love, happiness, acceptance, and many others, good and bad. "Percy, do not despair. We have little time left together, I don't want it to be spent in grieving."

Percy choked back a sob, running his free hand through her hair, the gray streak from bearing the burden of the sky still prominent even though his had disappeared long ago. His hand came to a rest on her cheek. "How can I not grieve? I can't lose you Anabeth! Please!"

"I can't be saved," she said simply, wincing in pain. She took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers. "These past few years, despite all of the bad, they've been amazing. I've been places I never imagined, learned so many things, and I met you, Percy. I could never ask for more than that. I love you so much."

Percy dropped his head. "This isn't fair!"

"How often are things ever fair?"

He looked up again, unwilling to leave her face out of sight for long. He wanted to never forget these few moments. "Why is it that you're the one comforting me right now?" he questioned. Annabeth smiled and reached out, grabbing his chin and pulling him closer. She kissed him softly, tenderly, lovingly. When she pulled back again and Percy looked down at her he realized. "I love you too, Annabeth. I won't ever forget—"

She placed a finger on his lips, effectively quieting him. "Don't dwell on the past, Percy. I want you to keep living. Don't be too reckless, Seaweed Brain. I won't be around to save you."

And just like that, she was gone. Percy heard the last breath leave her body, watched her eyes close, felt her finger leave his lips—the ones she had kissed moments ago—and drop down to the cot. Despite the wounds and the pain she had been in, her face was peaceful.

Percy could no longer hold back his tears. His shoulder shook as he sobbed into his dirty hands. He felt… empty. A part of him was gone with Annabeth.

Eventually Percy managed to pull himself together. It wasn't easy in any way, physically or mentally. The son of the sea god pushed himself unsteadily onto his feet and covered her with a blanket. And then he left the tent, struggling to keep his composure under all of the questioning stares he was receiving from the campers and hunters who had gathered. He shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders, brushing by them. A few tried to speak, but Percy ignored hem.

…

He went to the beach. He always did when things were fucked up. It calmed him. Not this time though. All he could think about the thousands of times he had come here with Annabeth and talked or… did other things that didn't include words. There were so many memories of this beach that included her. And Percy couldn't help but begin to sob again.

Despite the fact that they were demigods who were in constant danger, he had never imagined that one of them would actually die. And if he did, then it certainly wouldn't be Annabeth. She was so smart, incredibly skilled in battle, strong, and defiant. She wasn't supposed to die. He was the reckless one who threw every thought to the wind when it came to battle.

Percy felt two hands on his shoulders. They felt warm and soft, but Percy still dived to the side to get away, drawing Riptide. You could never be too careful when it came to monsters. He looked up into a pair of silver eyes filled with sorrow. Percy nearly dropped his sword in his haste to bow.

"Lady Artemis. I'm sorry. I didn't know—"

"It is fine," she cut him off. "I understand." The goddess held up a hand that glowed with a silver light. "I came to heal your wounds."

Percy nodded his head toward the sea. "I can do that myself." He didn't say it to be disrespectful, turning down help from a goddess. He even regretted his words the moment they left his lips. A part of him did at least; the part that wished to stay human rather than a jackelope. It couldn't be that much different than being a guinea pig, and he hadn't found that all too enjoyable. But the goddess didn't seem angry in the slightest. In fact, Percy could swear that he heard a soft chuckle from her.

_Pfft. That's just ridiculous!_

"Yet you have been down here for hours and you haven't even gone near the water."

Percy looked down to the spot he'd been sitting. Blood had settled into the sand turning it red. He hadn't even realized the he had been sitting there for so long.

Artemis stepped forward, seeing that he wasn't moving an inch and placed her glowing hand on his arm, the wound beneath slowly closing before their eyes. Despite his wishes for her to leave him be, a small sigh of relief escaped Percy's lips. Artemis moved around behind him to work on another gash on his back. "I'm sorry about Annabeth. She was a brave warrior, very intelligent, worthy of the hunt. However, I see that that never would have worked." She glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "She loved you very much."

His shoulders hunched at the words. "I know you think that men aren't capable of emotions or feelings, but I loved her too." His voice was very quiet, pained. But the words were the truth and it showed

The goddess smiled, though just barely. "I have seen for myself that your words are true, Perseus." Percy looked at her, surprised. She stepped back, satisfied that his wounds had been healed nicely. "It is not the end of the world. Return to the camp, speak to your friends. You aren't alone."

Even after she said it, Percy still couldn't find it within himself to believe her. He certainly felt pretty lonely. He looked in the direction of the camp where he could see a few campers wandering around. "Yeah… I guess so. Thank you for healing my wounds, Lady Artemis. And for talking to me."

She did not answer, only offering the tiniest smile, one so small he barely even caught it before she flashed away. Percy sighed and turned back, heading off to camp.

…..

A campfire was going when Percy returned, a vigil for those who died. It was solemn and quiet. The Apollo kids were not singing as they normally were, yet the fire burned high. Many pair of eyes turned to him as he stepped forward to find his place, Hunters and campers alike. He could see pity in their eyes and he hated it.

"Percy Jackson," Chiron, his centaur mentor said in a relieved voice. He was wearing a simple shirt tonight, no funny phrases or pictures, just plain white. Percy stared at the centaur, waiting for him to say something. He started and stopped several times before sighing deeply. "Your quest?"

"A failure," Percy said bitterly. "I found the cave where the Sword of Peleus was supposed to be. It was in Florida, just like the prophecy said. But apparently someone else arrived before me. The place was emptied. No mortal can enter there. I don't know who could have taken it."

"That sword allows the wielder to be victorious in battle," Connor Stoll said from the other side of the fire. "It's dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Nice going, Jackson," someone muttered.

Percy clenched his fists. "Whatever. The quest was pointless and I didn't ask to go." He glared at Mr. D. Dionysus, God of Wine, the man who sent him on that futile mission. "I should have been here!" he shouted angrily. "We all knew that the monsters have been acting up! I should have stayed here in case of a battle like today!"

Mr. D waved his hand lazily. "As if it would have changed anything. Boy, death is a part of life. Get over it."

In that moment many scenes flashed through Percy's mind, none of which depicted anything good happening to the God of Wine. But before he could act on his thoughts Thalia grabbed his arm and pulled him down onto the ground next to her. "Sit down and shut up, Percy," she muttered. "Forget about it."

His eyes softened immediately as he looked down at the girl he thought of as a sister. She looked tired and he knew that she had been crying again from the redness of her eyes. Despite the fact that he was surrounded by Hunters of Artemis who all held some amount of dislike for him, he hugged Thalia tightly. "I'm sorry, Pinecone. I should have gotten here sooner. It's my fault."

Thalia shook her head. "No, don't say that. It couldn't have been prevented. Annabeth… she knew what she was doing. She fought bravely and died bravely. Don't dishonor her by saying that you could have saved her." She pulled away from him and held up something wrapped in a cloth. Upon closer inspection, Percy realized that it wasn't a cloth, but a hat. A blue Yankees cap. "Here. She would have wanted you to take these."

With a shaking hand Percy took the cap and placed it on his lap, dusting away the dirt from his shorts beforehand. He bit his lip anxiously as he slowly unrolled it. Inside was a necklace, Annabeth's Camp Half-blood necklace with various clay beads. Each had it's own little images that signified a year of survival. In a couple of weeks another would have been added.

Percy couldn't hold back the tears that took him upon seeing the necklace. He really didn't care that so many had there eyes on him either. Somebody draped a blanket over his bare shoulders. He wiped at his eyes and took a shaky breath, trying to calm himself. He was so sick of crying. If Annabeth saw him she would probably give him a good punch to the stomach or a smack to the head. Either way, she would hit him. And then, in a tender way that took away the stinging feeling of her reproach, she would just call him "Seaweed Brain".

A cup of water was placed in his hands by some girl from the Athena cabin, one of Annabeth's sisters. She had those same gray eyes, but they weren't _hers. _He thanked her and stood, raising his cup into the air. "To those who lost their lives today, Hunters and Campers alike. Everyone fought valiantly and tonight we must honor them."

A cheer of agreement rose up among the campers and Percy smiled around at them and he took a sip of his water.

"Our brothers and sisters and friends wouldn't want us to grieve in their absence. They would want us to carry on just as we did when they were still with us! They would want us to rejoice our victory, even if they cannot celebrate with us. Tonight we do that."

As the campers began singing and the fire rose higher, Percy tucked the baseball cap into his pocket. He grinned at Thalia whose eyes were brimming with tears. But she looked happy. Still grinning, Percy tied the leather strap of Annabeth's necklace around his neck with his own. And then he joined in with the music.


End file.
